Kara Swisher on the Radicalization of Elon Musk | The Ezra Klein Show

Video Description

Elon Musk has been on a slash-and-burn tear through the federal government — gaining access to I.T. systems, dismantling U.S.A.I.D. and unleashing a firehose of attacks on his platform, X, accusing the bureaucracy of various conspiratorial crimes. As this all unfolds before our eyes, it’s hard to believe that Musk, not that long ago, was a conventional Obama-era liberal. How did a guy who cared about climate change and going to Mars, whose companies were buoyed by government largess, become Donald Trump’s most unapologetic soldier? What does he hope to do with all this power? What does Musk want? Kara Swisher has been reporting on Musk for decades and is one of the great tech reporters of our age. She hosts the podcasts “On With Kara Swisher” and “Pivot,” with Scott Galloway, and is the author of “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story.” This episode contains strong language. 0:00 Intro 2:06 Catching up 2:27 Elon Musk and D.O.G.E. 10:21 What Musk wants 12:03 Musks' radicalization 28:13 Twitter acquisition 35:58 Silicon Valley vibe shift 42:53 Governmental reform 1:05:18 Book Recommendations Read the full transcript here: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-kara-swisher.html Watch more on @EzraKleinShow Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected]. You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.